the villain s redemption
"Alright, I will buy everything." Mo Li was proudly smiling at her as he pointed at the pieces of jewelry in front of them.
"All — All of them?" the attendant asked, hesitation apparent in his face. "This guest— "
"Yes, all of them."
Rhea could only roll her eyes as she listened to Mo Li's words. Really? How childish. She stared at the shiny jewels before turning her head away. Since she was considered poor, maybe she should just pawn those stuff later.
"There will be an auction tomorrow, would you like to come with me?" Mo Li asked. Mo Li already knew about her meeting with Edris earlier. Because of this, he was certain that she would accompany him to the auction.
"Can you stop buying things like that?" she said. "If you really wanted to buy something, then help me raise the price for the auction tomorrow."
"Oh? But that wouldn't be believable, right?"
"Why not?" Rhea asked. She waited for the attendant to leave before she spoke. "To everyone, you are just trying to protect the talismans that the ungrateful villagers sold. How is that unbelievable? As my protective Prince, that is your job."
Mo Li chuckled as he nodded. "Alright."
There he was again. Nodding without even asking questions. Isn't that weird? Why would someone agree to her requests without asking the why's? Perhaps… Mo Li was scheming something deeper?
The fact that Mo Li is not human is really making her suspicious. Perhaps he is a dark one who is waiting to eat my soul?
For some reason, the thought made her blush. What the hell?
After the attendant packed everything, Mo Li once again dragged her to the stalls to eat something. This time, Rhea felt really excited. Now that she thought about it, seeing all these different sweets was really making her happy.
The two only went home when it was already dark.
"Your highness!" the man who greeted them first was that Corvus that Mo Li recommended. "The Crown Prince and the future Crown princess invited you for breakfast tomorrow."
Mo Li nodded. "Alright." He glanced at Rhea and waited for her to nod before he added. "Send a response. Tell them we are coming." Then he escorted Rhea to her room.
He then quickly bid her goodbye, telling her he had some important things to attend to.
…
The next day, Rhea woke up relaxed and surprisingly with a smile on her face. She thought it was because she really had a good time while roaming around the capital yesterday.
"Saintess, what do you want to wear today?" the one who asked was one of the servants that Mo Li assigned to her.
"White," Rhea answered. White was already her signature look. Why change it? She glanced at the servant in the mirror in front of her. "Why are you asking?"
"Saintess received a few luxurious clothes from the future crown princes. They were all made using expensive materials and jewels. Most of them were red and pink."
"Ah," that Amanda is scheming again. "No. I like white." Red would make her look like royalty. Why would Amanda gift her some red clothes? Rhea smirked as she thought about Amanda's schemes.
Of course, Rhea didn't hesitate to use this as another sword the moment she met her sister.
When Rhea and Mo Li walked inside the western palace where the Crown Prince is living, they immediately spotted the couple who invited them.
"Sister!" Amanda smiled at her. For some reason, her hand was stroking her belly.
"Amanda. You look like you are already gaining weight." Rhea laughed inwardly. Most people would hate everyone who is tactless and unreasonable. And right now, Rhea is the exact description of those two.
"Saintess… I never expected that you would immediately hurt your pregnant sister the moment you walk into my abode." The Crown Prince frowned. However, Rhea only found this situation entertaining. For some reason, Rhea couldn't remember the Crown Prince's real name. Was it because he wasn't as handsome as Mo Li?
[Side quest activated: Make the Crown Prince vomit blood. Reward: 50 coins. No option to decline.]
What?
What did you just say?
Rhea blinked. Did she just hear the system right?
'Why the hell would I annoy this man? I couldn't even remember his name!'
[Just because…]
Just because? What kind of answer is that? Rhea wanted to curse and kick the system. Sadly, this robot only existed inside her brain. This robot's quests are sometimes too weird, ah!
She smiled broadly at the Crown Prince. "Your highness, may you live a long and prosperous life. I apologize for not greeting you first, I was just too overwhelmed by my sister's presence, I didn't notice you at all."
"Sister you — " Amanda paled when she heard Rhea's words.
Who would have thought that Rhea is not showing any signs of fear even from the Crown Prince?
"You dare spout some nonsense in front of me?" The Crown Prince asked.
"Did I say something wrong?" Rhea looked at Mo Li, who was only smiling, enjoying the show in front of him. "Did I?"
"No, the saintess is brilliant and wise. There is no way that the saintess would say something nonsense." Mo Li nodded.
"Mo Li! What are you doing?"
"Your highness, why would you ask me such a question?" Mo Li fired back. "Naturally, I am only telling the truth about the saintess."
"You — You — " Disbelief flashed in the Crown Prince's face.
"Ah, why don't we calm down first?"
"The future crown Princess is right. We should calm down first." Rhea agreed as she let Mo Li pull the chair for her. Right now, they are at the back part of the palace where a patio with a seating area and a view of the garden was located. "Moreover, the stress could easily affect the infant. Please refrain from getting angry too much, your highness." Rhea looked at the Crown Prince. "If you continue acting like this, my sister would suffer as well."
Rhea continued spouting bullshit as she smiled. Everyone in this room knew that Amanda wasn't really pregnant, so her endless words about the pregnancy were truly annoying. However, the Crown Prince and Amanda would never say anything against it.